


Gambol

by dormiensa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Insecurity, Post-Hogwarts, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 04:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20886152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dormiensa/pseuds/dormiensa
Summary: Everyone had always assumed that Blaise didn’t do long-term relationships.  Ginny, certainly, thought she’d just have a bit of fun with the infamous womanizer.





	Gambol

Blaise had always found Ginny Weasley intriguing. The few times he’d seen her shopping with her mum in Diagon Alley, she was always a constant stream of bright chatter. And the times when she’d wanted something from one of the shops but had been told that she couldn’t have it, she’d pout but never caused a scene (like Pansy or Daphne were wont to do) and then be all smiles when her mum compromised by purchasing a smaller, cheaper object.

But he began to truly admire Ginny Weasley during his final year at Hogwarts. She and Longbottom—oh, and that peculiar blond Ravenclaw—had openly rebelled against Snape, despite knowing full-well that the Dark Lord was systematically taking over their world. It was a brand of folly that only Gryffindors could enact, but he’d admired her pluck. The school year became noticeably more dull when she’d failed to return after the Christmas hols. Longbottom did his best to maintain his stance of defiance, but he was clearly at a loss without her support. 

Good thing Potter managed to off the Dark Lord in the end. Blaise and his mum would’ve been forced to seek refuge with distant overseas relatives after failing to declare their loyalty to the Dark Lord if he’d come into power at last. 

Instead, he and his family maintained their place in society, and he was now standing in the ballroom as an invited guest to the first Remembrance Ball held by the Ministry to celebrate the first anniversary of Potter’s triumph. 

And looking down in confusion at the extended hand before him. 

“Zabini, I asked if you’d care to dance.”

In a daze, he grasped the hand and was led to the dance floor. It was only when they’d done a turn about the room and he’d got a whiff of her perfume that he realized he was dancing with Ginny Weasley.

_Nordenskiöld’s nutsacks!_

~*~*~*~

Ginny smiled as she watched the retreating back.

It’d been a gamble, but it’d paid off. She’d scored a date with Blaise Zabini. And it was to be spectacular. His pride and his reputation were at stake. After failing to make the first move during the Ministry ball, he would need to assert his masculinity.

She hummed as she sent her note to Luna asking her friend to accompany her to shop for a new outfit for the date. She sent a second one to her Holyhead teammate, Gwen. Between the differing tastes of the two witches, she was bound to find the perfect ensemble.

~*~*~*~

“You look lovely, Ginevra.”

“You look quite spiffing yourself, Blaise.” 

“Shall we?”

She placed her hand in the crook of his arm and allowed him Apparate her to their evening’s destination. They arrived at another upscale restaurant, this time serving Portuguese fare. As they glanced their menus, he once again mentioned the few dishes that were supposedly the signature and most popular ones. She once again pretended to consider his suggestions, finally demuring and asking him to decide. Slytherin condescension was quite its own breed of monster, but at least he was more courteous in his delivery. For all his family’s wealth and snotty upbringing, Malfoy could be quite vulgar with his patronizing—but she supposed he’d likely developed such a tactic as a defence mechanism against Hermione. In any case, Blaise did seem to have good taste in food, and his choices for her had so far not disappointed. She would store up these lessons and perhaps one day surprise him. That is, if things would even work out between them.

Ginny was under no illusions about their relationship. Despite having amicably split with Harry soon after they’d cleaned up the mess following Voldemort’s defeat, she still needed to establish herself in everyone’s eyes. And who better to choose as her new boyfriend than someone who was practically Harry’s opposite. 

“Is the _porco preto_ not to your liking?”

“Oh no, it’s lovely, especially with the garlic sauce. I was just thinking about the different dishes we’ve tried on our dates so far.”

“Have you decided on a favourite?”

“No, they’ve been all very interesting. Mum isn’t that adventurous when it comes to food, so I’m really enjoying sampling the best that other cuisines have to offer.”

“Well, do you feel ready to venture farther? We’ve kept to European up to now, but if you wish, we can explore some of the Asian dishes. I was thinking that we could start with Indian and then work south and eastward.”

“I’m game! You still haven’t told me what we’re doing after dinner.”

“Oh, nothing fancy. My mum got free tickets to the theatre. Some new play about the tragedy of the Dark Lord’s life, so it ought to be a riot… Ginevra, are you all right? You look very pale.”

“I-I’m fine. I must’ve overextended myself during practice today and didn’t realize until it caught up to me now. D-do you mind if we just finished our entrées and then skipped the play?”

“Certainly. If you don’t mind, I’ll make a quick Floo-call to see if Pansy will take the tickets. Shall I order something from the bar to soothe?”

“That’d be lovely, thank you.”

When he eventually saw her to the door of her flat, he insisted on coming in and ensuring she was settled. She made but a token protest when he offered to make some hot cocoa while she showered and changed into more comfy clothes. 

They lounged on her faded couch. When she seemed a bit more revived, he said quietly, “There’ve been rumours since my second year that you were the student who was taken into the Chamber of Secrets. Given your reaction during dinner, I guess it’s true.”

She nodded and closed her eyes briefly. But then she looked at him with an almost fierce determination.

“I’m sorry, I would never have accepted the tickets if I’d known. You look… remarkably well-adjusted, given the circumstances. How did you manage to overcome the trauma?”

She blinked and sighed. “It took me a while. I… I still occasionally have nightmares about it. But it was Hermione who helped me finally realize that I wasn’t to blame. I don’t really remember what methods she showed me, but she’d spent that summer reading through some Muggle healing books and we tried a few things during the term until something starting helping. Oddly, it was Ron and his usual blundering that also got me through. I forget what it was, but in his fumbling way, I let go of another piece of guilt. And in subsequent years, I was made fully aware of just how much danger we all were in with Voldemort’s return, and if I didn’t want to ever be his pawn again, I needed to become strong enough that he’d bypass me.” She rubbed his arm with soothing motions. “I’m sorry. The name has long stopped being fearful to me, so I forget that not everyone has developed an immunity. Are you all right?”

“I-I’ll be fine. Y-you’re right, of course, that we need to stop allowing his name to have such power over us. Draco’s been saying how Granger is constantly saying the name to his face and forcing him to use it in discussions. Perhaps you could do the same for me?”

Ginny smiled. “Of course.” She looked at him expectantly. He pressed in for a kiss. 

“It’s been a long day for you. Let’s get you tucked in. I’ll make sure to lock the door securely behind me when I leave.”

~*~*~*~

Two months in, Ginny asked if he would join her in her family’s usual Sunday Brunch at her parent’s house. She’d been forewarned by Hermione that Harry intended to bring Pansy Parkinson and introduce her to the clan.

Blaise had readily agreed, having been informed by Pansy herself about the plan. She’d begged him to ask for an invitation—she needed the support. Draco was becoming much too pussy-whipped to be of much use to her. He promised he’d come up with a plausible reason to make the request and was therefore relieved to be spared the trouble.

He would not have acceded quite so readily if he could’ve foreseen the tight alliance that would form between Pansy and Granger, to the detriment of his well-being (Draco’s demise he cared not a jot about; the sod had chosen his paramour with open eyes).

~*~*~*~

“What possessed you to invite your best friend and my ex on our double date?”

Blaise blinked. “Draco and Hermione bailed on us and we’ve had the reservations for months.”

“You couldn’t find anyone else to go?”

Blaise was taken aback by the angry tone. “I didn’t realize Potter had recently offended you.”

“He hasn’t! But that doesn’t mean I’d want to play chaperone for them!”

“Oh, I see. I suppose that is how it would seem for the place we’re going. That had not crossed my mind. I merely wished to see if we could figure out the mysterious disappearance of Draco and Hermione between the four of us. I’d invite your brother if he were less...”

“Idiotic?”

Blaise grinned. “Your term, not mine.” At Ginny’s scoff, he added, “Admit it, you’re just as miffed about Draco and Hermione bailing. If, Merlin forbid, they have gone and eloped in the middle of their elaborate wedding planning, the ones most likely to know would be their best friends.”

“Fine. But I still think you’ve got more up your sleeve than a simple meeting to collect information.”

Blaise gave her a bland smile.

~*~*~*~

As she lay entwined in his embrace, listening to his even breathing, Ginny sighed. Where had she gone wrong? She’d thought she’d found the ideal wizard to rebound with and further her aim to show that she could stand on her own two feet, but it turned out that Blaise’s reputation as a ladies’ man was but a façade. He was quite romantic and seemed happy to continue their relationship. Had there been something wrong about all the witches before her or was she somehow cursed with the knack of transforming every man she dated into marriage-ready dullards? Perhaps marriage was putting it too strongly, but definitely long-term-minded.

What to do?

~*~*~*~

Blaise stared, not quite believing his ears. But then a mental check had him sighing in resignation. It was the three-month mark. Yet again. Well, then.

He Disapparated, landing two blocks from the town residence. He walked about the nearby park for almost two hours before he felt ready to return home. 

Once inside, he flopped onto the couch and did not move for three days.

He was finally roused to awareness by the newly-minted Mrs Draco Malfoy. 

“Here, have a drink of water. I’ve added a revitalizing potion.” When he’d downed the lot, Hermione said, “Ginny told me what happened. I’m so sorry. Is—can I help with anything?”

Blaise shook his head wearily.

“Ginny is brave and strong and goal-oriented. It’s why she’s such a great Chaser. But she’s always been less capable of dealing with emotions. I blame Voldemort for traumatizing her at such a young age. She doesn’t like being vulnerable and has trust issues. She has always been the one to call things off. But I’ve also never seen her as distraught over the decision. I think she’s more invested than she’d realized. Now, the question is: do you love her enough to get her back?”

Blaise stared. 

“I’ve seen Oliver Wood eyeing Ginny with interest during the matches between their teams. He’s going to find out she’s become available again. Unless you wish to permanently dash his hopes?”

Blaise dragged himself off the couch, pressed a kiss atop Hermione’s head, and disappeared into his room.

Hermione smiled as she observed the squared shoulders.

~*~*~*~

The owl found her after their match against the Falmouth Falcons.

_Dear Ginevra,_

_I’m tired of being your anti-Harry. I want to be in a real relationship for a change, even if it ends up with the parting of ways again. At least then, we could walk away knowing we’d given our all to the relationship and that it’d merely run its course._

_I know that I have a reputation for not being able to settle with one woman. But that is not by choice. Do you know why none of the women I dated stayed beyond three months? It was self-defense. The first two witches I ever dated assumed that they would end up dead, like my father and stepfathers. So long as I lavished them with gifts and brought them to fancy parties, they were fine, but once I added feelings, they scarpered. _

_You are probably not ready to discuss feelings, and that is fine. But if you are at least open to the possibility of a relationship beyond three months, I shall be visiting with Draco and Hermione this Saturday for a late luncheon. _

_Blaise_

~*~*~*~

After they left Draco and Hermione’s, they ended up on the roof terrace of his town residence. They came to an agreement to start anew. And to show her sincerity, they would take turns deciding the details of their dates. With a sly smile, she said that she would not dare attack his pride by paying for said dates, however.

~*~*~*~

Ginny stared at the frilly invitation. “Harry and Pansy are getting married next month!”

Blaise peered over the _Prophet_. “It can hardly be a surprise to you.”

“But they’ve only been dating for six months!”

“You got tired of hero worship, which is why you chose me. Perhaps Potter is equally tired of being worshipped and needs someone to make him toe the line. Who better than Pansy?”

“Harry doesn’t need someone to boss him around—he’s got Hermione!”

Blaise grinned. “And he will always have her to do so. But she won’t always have the time for him. Draco is a handful.”

“True. And eventually the sprog.”

Blaise’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “Already?”

Ginny grinned. “Hermione’s finally coming ’round to the fact that even magic and potions aren’t infallible. The Healer estimates that she’s about six weeks along. But she says to keep quiet. Draco’s parents are going to be suffocating once they find out.”

“Naturally. It’s a good thing she insisted that they have their own place. Narcissa would likely find a means of preventing her from leaving the manor until after ‘the happy event’.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “I can foresee the manor ending up as a crumbling mess of timber and stone. Hermione might not having a Slytherin’s cunning, but she’s got Gryffindor stubbornness in spades. And with the life of the heir in the balance, I think Narcissa will find herself being forced to back down.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure. She managed to deceive Voldemort and save Draco’s skin. _Ginevra!_ Can’t breathe!”

Ginny loosened the stranglehold about his neck. “I’m so proud of you! You said the name without stuttering!”

Blaise rolled his eyes. But was prevented from giving a characteristic snarky retort by the snogging that Ginny insisted on rewarding him.

~*~*~*~

It was a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon like many others when, after partaking of another excellent meal, Blaise placed a rectangular box tied with green ribbon within Ginny’s easy reach. She looked at it in confusion. It was too short to contain either necklace or bracelet. And she’d made it clear that she hated brooches.

Blaise’s expression was a study in Slytherin inscrutibility. 

Ginny unwrapped the gift and stared slack-jawed at the box’s contents. It contained a key. 

Locking eyes with him, Ginny finally closed her mouth and gulped. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the faint eye-twitch of fear. 

Not caring that they were in a public place, though off in a quiet corner of the restaurant that afforded a modicum of privacy, she climbed into his lap, placed a gentle, reassuring kiss, noted his relief, and whispered, “I’d love to move in with you.”


End file.
